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3 Lake County Sheriff’s officers plead guilty to gun charges, resign
11/21/2011 6:13:46 PM
3 Lake County Sheriff’s officers plead guilty to gun charges, resign
By Teresa Auch Schultz tauch@post-trib.com September 22, 2011 7:14PM
Updated: November 10, 2011 5:20PM
Three Lake County Sheriff’s police officers used their positions to buy and sell online machine guns and laser sights, some of which landed with a criminal organization in Montreal, federal officials said Thursday in announcing a six-count indictment against the men.
Edward Kabella, a patrolman; Joseph Kumstar, a former deputy chief, and Ronald D. Slusser, a SWAT officer and firearms instructor, have agreed to plead guilty to the charges and pay anywhere from about $22,000 to almost $200,000 to the IRS in back taxes. All of the men are from Crown Point.
Sheriff John Buncich said the three men, who were placed on administrative leave in May after federal officials served subpoenas on them, have resigned from the department effective Friday.
U.S. Attorney David Capp said the three men started scheming in September 2008 to use their positions with the Sheriff’s Department to purchase 74 H&K machine guns, known for being military-grade weapons.
Individuals are banned from owning fully automatic machine guns; only the military and law enforcement agencies are allowed to purchase them.
According to the indictment, Kumstar, 40, made the first purchase on Sept. 4, 2008, by using official letterhead and purchase orders from the Sheriff’s Department to submit requests for the guns to a manufacturer for three of its Model 416 automatic machine guns. He signed the letter citing himself as the chief of police, when he was actually the deputy chief.
Kumstar wrote in the letter the guns were for the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, which is allowed to buy and own the guns. He exchanged a machine gun owned by the Sheriff’s Department for the three new guns and also received $4,500 from the seller.
The defendants intercepted the delivery of the guns and took them to Slusser’s house. They then broke up the guns into three pieces and sold the most desirable part, the upper receiver barrel, online. Capp said the upper receiver is a popular product because it is well-made and can fit onto any gun. The part can’t normally be bought separately.
Four more similar transactions followed, although Kumstar, Slusser and Kabella, paid anywhere from $1,200 to $1,900 for the guns in the separate purchases. Capp said they used their own money to buy the guns.
The barrels and other pieces were all sold online with the officers making anywhere from $2,500 to $3,500 on each item.
Paul Stracci, who is representing Kabella, pointed out his client was specifically named in just two of the purchases — one for guns and one for lasers. Slusser made most of the laser purchases, according to the indictment.
Sight lasers, too
The men ran a similar scheme with the sight lasers, buying 92 of them from two companies. The men paid $1,250 for each laser and sold them for $2,800 to $3,000 online.
Capp stressed that none of the companies that sold the items were being accused of illegal activity and that they had all been duped by the defendants into thinking they were making legal transactions.
Four of the barrels were found in May during a search warrant on organized crime in Montreal, Capp said. Some of the laser sights were found in the home of a Mississippi man who died after engaging in a shoot-out with police officers, Capp said.
Capp stressed the dangers of selling items like these online.
“You have no idea where they will end up,” Capp said.
All three men are charged with one count each of conspiring to lie to a federal firearms licensee and conspiring to defraud the U.S. Drug and Food Administration, which oversees all lasers in the country. Each faces individual counts on lying on their federal tax returns.
According to the indictment, Slusser, an 11-year veteran with the department, claimed on his 2006 income tax return that he made $298,566 less than he actually did. Kumstar, an 17-year veteran, and Kabella, a six-year veteran, are accused of lying on their 2010 tax returns by $30,102 and $58,516, respectively.
Slusser, 47, was also charged with money laundering, by splitting up cash deposits so they never went over $10,000. Federal law requires that banks report any deposit more than $10,000.
The defendants have agreed to plead guilty to all of the counts, according to signed plea agreements.
By Teresa Auch Schultz tauch@post-trib.com September 22, 2011 7:14PM
Updated: November 10, 2011 5:20PM
Three Lake County Sheriff’s police officers used their positions to buy and sell online machine guns and laser sights, some of which landed with a criminal organization in Montreal, federal officials said Thursday in announcing a six-count indictment against the men.
Edward Kabella, a patrolman; Joseph Kumstar, a former deputy chief, and Ronald D. Slusser, a SWAT officer and firearms instructor, have agreed to plead guilty to the charges and pay anywhere from about $22,000 to almost $200,000 to the IRS in back taxes. All of the men are from Crown Point.
Sheriff John Buncich said the three men, who were placed on administrative leave in May after federal officials served subpoenas on them, have resigned from the department effective Friday.
U.S. Attorney David Capp said the three men started scheming in September 2008 to use their positions with the Sheriff’s Department to purchase 74 H&K machine guns, known for being military-grade weapons.
Individuals are banned from owning fully automatic machine guns; only the military and law enforcement agencies are allowed to purchase them.
According to the indictment, Kumstar, 40, made the first purchase on Sept. 4, 2008, by using official letterhead and purchase orders from the Sheriff’s Department to submit requests for the guns to a manufacturer for three of its Model 416 automatic machine guns. He signed the letter citing himself as the chief of police, when he was actually the deputy chief.
Kumstar wrote in the letter the guns were for the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, which is allowed to buy and own the guns. He exchanged a machine gun owned by the Sheriff’s Department for the three new guns and also received $4,500 from the seller.
The defendants intercepted the delivery of the guns and took them to Slusser’s house. They then broke up the guns into three pieces and sold the most desirable part, the upper receiver barrel, online. Capp said the upper receiver is a popular product because it is well-made and can fit onto any gun. The part can’t normally be bought separately.
Four more similar transactions followed, although Kumstar, Slusser and Kabella, paid anywhere from $1,200 to $1,900 for the guns in the separate purchases. Capp said they used their own money to buy the guns.
The barrels and other pieces were all sold online with the officers making anywhere from $2,500 to $3,500 on each item.
Paul Stracci, who is representing Kabella, pointed out his client was specifically named in just two of the purchases — one for guns and one for lasers. Slusser made most of the laser purchases, according to the indictment.
Sight lasers, too
The men ran a similar scheme with the sight lasers, buying 92 of them from two companies. The men paid $1,250 for each laser and sold them for $2,800 to $3,000 online.
Capp stressed that none of the companies that sold the items were being accused of illegal activity and that they had all been duped by the defendants into thinking they were making legal transactions.
Four of the barrels were found in May during a search warrant on organized crime in Montreal, Capp said. Some of the laser sights were found in the home of a Mississippi man who died after engaging in a shoot-out with police officers, Capp said.
Capp stressed the dangers of selling items like these online.
“You have no idea where they will end up,” Capp said.
All three men are charged with one count each of conspiring to lie to a federal firearms licensee and conspiring to defraud the U.S. Drug and Food Administration, which oversees all lasers in the country. Each faces individual counts on lying on their federal tax returns.
According to the indictment, Slusser, an 11-year veteran with the department, claimed on his 2006 income tax return that he made $298,566 less than he actually did. Kumstar, an 17-year veteran, and Kabella, a six-year veteran, are accused of lying on their 2010 tax returns by $30,102 and $58,516, respectively.
Slusser, 47, was also charged with money laundering, by splitting up cash deposits so they never went over $10,000. Federal law requires that banks report any deposit more than $10,000.
The defendants have agreed to plead guilty to all of the counts, according to signed plea agreements.
11/21/2011 7:19:07 PM
Idiots.
Both the LEOs and the "author" of that article.
Such terrible grammar.
Both the LEOs and the "author" of that article.
Such terrible grammar.
11/21/2011 7:25:16 PM
Where did the lowers go?
Here's an older thread from INHTF
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_8_30/464493_3_Lake_County_Sheriff_s_officers_plead_guilty_to_gun_charges__resign.html
Here's an older thread from INHTF
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_8_30/464493_3_Lake_County_Sheriff_s_officers_plead_guilty_to_gun_charges__resign.html
11/26/2011 12:29:42 PM
What did they sell?
416 uppers and IR lasers?
Is that illegal?
416 uppers and IR lasers?
Is that illegal?
11/26/2011 2:52:41 PM
If it's your property and not stuff obtained by signing as the chief when you are NOT the chief to get post sample guns and PEQ type devices. It looks like they are mostly getting hammered on the IRS tax stuff for not reporting the extra money the made.
11/26/2011 4:34:34 PM
Originally Posted By sardo_67:
If it's your property and not stuff obtained by signing as the chief when you are NOT the chief to get post sample guns and PEQ type devices. It looks like they are mostly getting hammered on the IRS tax stuff for not reporting the extra money the made.
If it's your property and not stuff obtained by signing as the chief when you are NOT the chief to get post sample guns and PEQ type devices. It looks like they are mostly getting hammered on the IRS tax stuff for not reporting the extra money the made.
They also traded-in department-owned MGs to get the HKs, then sold the HK parts. So it's grand larceny as well (stealing and selling department property).
They were just outright criminals, or stupid idiots. Either way, they earned what they are getting.
11/26/2011 4:47:58 PM
Hope they like cockmeat sammich!They deserve more punishment because they were LEOs and knew better.If anyone else did it they would bury them under the jail!Im not a LEO hater but I hate ones that abuse authority.
11/27/2011 4:12:42 PM
Originally Posted By hrt4me:
3 Lake County Sheriff’s officers plead guilty to gun charges, resign
By Teresa Auch Schultz tauch@post-trib.com September 22, 2011 7:14PM
Individuals are generally banned from owning fully automatic machine guns; only the military and law enforcement agencies are allowed to purchase them.
3 Lake County Sheriff’s officers plead guilty to gun charges, resign
By Teresa Auch Schultz tauch@post-trib.com September 22, 2011 7:14PM
Individuals are generally banned from owning fully automatic machine guns; only the military and law enforcement agencies are allowed to purchase them.
A wee bit of fact-checking, addition of one single word, and voila! - perpetuation of false folklore becomes truthful journalism.
The again, where guns are concerned "truthful journalism" is as rare as Haley's Comet...
12/1/2011 2:40:29 PM
Are they getting any jail time??? All i saw was they were getting fined and having to pay money to the IRS for taxes.
